was the government’s responsibility to care for those who could not care for themselves. The New Deal programs on the whole were not successful in meeting the needs they intended to achieve. However, Roosevelt was a brilliant politician. He kept the nation’s spirit of hope alive when a future seemed so dim. By using the radio as a new means of communication, Roosevelt could inspire large groups of people all around the country simultaneously. Although social programs like the ones created by Roosevelt would not play a large part in the national agenda during the 1940’s and 50’s, they would be the hindsight for the “unconditional War on Poverty” under the Johnson Administration. Lyndon B. Johnson“The Great Society rests on the abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time… It is a place where men are more concerned with the quality of their goals than the quantity of their goods.”This excerpt from Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” speech in May 1964, sums up the general attitude of many Americans at that time. Johnson believed that through educational and economic reform, he could end racial injustice that was rooted in poverty. This was all made possible because of the state of the economy, the state of politics, and an attentive public.At the end of World War II, the American economy was thriving. It was a time of high corporate profits and the standard of living had increased by fifty percent. These economic conditions made the war on poverty possible because no one had to sacrifice personal income.The state of politics also supported a new interest in social programs. New Deal liberalism was sweeping the country’s political sphere. Many politicians believed it was their obligation to help the poor. American politics was so optimistic that American...
